Russia strikes back with Magnitsky list response

A passenger showing a U.S. passport at the check-in counter of the Sochi airport (RIA Novosti / Mikhail Mokrushin) / RIA Novosti

Russia has released the list naming 18 Americans banned from entering the Russian Federation over their alleged human rights violations, as a direct response to the so-called Magnitsky list revealed by the US on Friday.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aleksandr Lukashevich
stressed that the publication of Magnitsky List is a “heavy blow
to bilateral relations and mutual trust.”

“We’d like to particularly note that unlike the American
[Magnitsky list], our list includes in the first place those
involved in legalizing torture and indefinite confinement of the
prisoners of Guantanamo Bay detention facility, arrests and
abductions of Russian citizens to third-party countries, and
infringement on their life and health,” Lukashevich
explained.

Lukashevich added that the 'war of lists' was not Russia's
choice, but now the government must respond to open blackmail. The
time has come for politicians in Washington to finally realize that
building up relationship with a country like Russia in the spirit
of mentoring and outright dictatorship is hopeless, he
believes.

"While a whole number of international and regional conflicts
suggest Russia and the US should work closer, this case not just
casts shadow over these ties, but actually damages them," he
added.

Before the Magnitsky list was released, Russia warned that the
reaction would be in accordance with the “rules of
parity.”

“We will not publish anything substantially different in
terms of the numbers [of names] published by the American
side,” explained Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

In response to Russia's list the US State Department released a
statement, criticizing the reciprocal
decision.

"As we've said many times before, the right response by
Russia to the international outcry over Sergey Magnitsky's death
would be to conduct a proper investigation and hold those
responsible for his death accountable, rather than engage in
tit-for-tat retaliation,'' the statement said.

The final version of the list of Russian officials and
businessmen who will be banned from entering the United States
while their stateside assets will be frozen includes 18 people. Sixteen of them are said to be
“directly responsible ” for Magnitsky’s death in prison,
according to Washington's version of events.

There are no top Russian officials on the list at the moment,
however, according to a senior US State Department official there
is a separate, classified version of the list. Those included on
the secret list will be banned from entering the US, but won’t be
stripped of their assets, because “you can’t do an asset ban in
secret,” the official said.

Although the published list is considerably shorter than the 60
officials that Magnitsky Act author Benjamin Cardin accuses of
involvement in the tax lawyer’s death, the Act suggests that the US
government would annually add new Russians it views as ‘human
rights violators’ to the list.

Sergey Magnitsky was a lawyer working at the British investment
fund Hermitage Capital, which was involved in a large-scale tax
evasion scandal in 2007. Magnitsky, insisting a group of Russian
officials were behind the embezzlement, was arrested on suspicion
of assisting with tax evasion. Almost a year later, Magnitsky died
of a heart attack awaiting trial in a Moscow detention center. His
supporters claim he was tortured to extract a confession and to
withdraw his accusations. In March 2013, the criminal case into his
death was closed due the absence of a crime.

But despite disagreement over the list, the US will continue to
work with Russia on issues of mutual interest, White House
spokesman Jay Carney said.

“We have our differences with Russia,” said Carney.
“We make them clear. Human rights is an issue that we have
disagreements with them on at times and, you know, we are very
frank and candid about that. And we will engage with the Russians
on those issues as well as the others that we have.”

Russia’s list of unwanted Americans is sanctioned under the
so-called Dima Yakovlev law that came into force in January. A
complete ban on adoptions of Russian children by US parents or by
proxy of US organizations was included in the extensive regulation on "measures against
persons involved in abuse of fundamental human rights and freedoms
including those of Russian citizens.”

US officials involved in legalizing torture and indefinite
detention of prisoners (The Guantanamo List)